Hesitation or the Lack Thereof
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: The rest of the conversation after "Dressed to Kill" - Short and fluffy


Hesitation…or Lack Thereof

They sat there, forehead to forehead, nose to nose, wearing smiles that lit the room.

"So you have a dress. Do you really love it?"

"Yeah, I do." She planted another quick kiss on his lips then pulled back to look at him. "It was you, wasn't it? How did you know?"

"I didn't. Matilda called me and asked about getting the dress to you."

"So when you left today at lunch…"

"I accepted the delivery at your apartment, locked up, and left."

"Did you look at it?" she asked, knowing her man-child.

"No!" he stated emphatically. "There are three women in my house. I know how much trouble I'd be in if I tried to see that dress!" Pulling her close for another kiss, he added softly, "Besides, I kind of like the idea of being blown away when I see you in it at the end of the aisle. This marriage is going to last for the rest of our lives, and I want to do everything right."

"Me, too, but it looks like I'm off to a bad start."

"No you aren't. You just took the time to explain why you hesitated. That's a good start, don't you think? Dresses are a dime a dozen, but relationships are what counts. If a perfect dress and a perfect venue is all it took, I'd still be married to Meredith. But if you and I got married in our work clothes on the sidewalk in front of the precinct, with street performers playing the wedding music, or walked into Bob's office with the license and our family as witnesses, this marriage would still last."

"Yeah, it would," she answered confidently. Leaning back against the sofa, she looked thoughtful. "I'm sure this is far from being one of those dime a dozen dresses, though. I was so excited about blowing you away at the wedding, it just occurred to me what kind of huge gift this is. I just helped prove Matilda was innocent of a murder I was working on, then this. That can't look good. I should send it back."

"No, you shouldn't. That's why I sent her a check. I mentioned that when I talked to her, and, of course, she hadn't thought of such a thing. In her business, people take gifts all the time, no questions asked. She just saw how much you seemed to like it, raved about how good it looked on you, and sounded like she really wanted you to have it. Maybe she isn't quite as inhuman as she seemed at first."

She was really sweet when she saw me wear it. Almost motherly. Maybe that's what set me off. She had to leave the room for a few minutes…gave me too much time to think about mothers."

Castle leaned back beside her, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close to rest against his side. After kissing the top of her head in understanding, he asked mischievously, "So, the dress…is it all fluffy and white and girly?"

She smiled up at him. "It's definitely girly…a little bit fluffy…mostly not white. It's different… but it still looks like a wedding dress."

"So it's unique…like my bride?"

She huffed a little laugh. "Thank you for the dress," she said more seriously. "And for thinking about the fact that it wasn't an appropriate gift."

"Just taking care of my almost wife. Thank you for not arguing about allowing me to do that."

"I don't want you to try to spoil me all the time just because you can."

"Let me give you the wedding you want, no arguments about cost, no concerns about numbers of guests, anything we want…and after the honeymoon, we can go back to what you'll allow. But, Kate, I'd really like to spoil you now and then. It would make me happy."

"The wedding and the honeymoon. After that, we'll talk."

"Best I can get for now?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll take it."

"Want to pour me that glass now?"

"Sure," he answered, moving to do just that. Handing her the glass and putting his arm back around her, he said, "It's your favorite."

"The one that…"

"Yep…which kinda makes it my favorite, too," he answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Where are those bridal magazines, Writer-man? We have a venue to find." Looking up at him flirtatiously, she added, "Then we'll let the wine kick in."


End file.
